When preparing food for human consumption it is customary to add seasonings or apply sauces designed to enhance the flavor of the food. Without formal training in the culinary arts, the novice cook risks unappetizing consequences by applying seasonings which are not adequate for the food being prepared, or not in the correct amounts or combinations needed to yield an appetizing and flavorful result.
It would be desirable if there were a product that would enable a novice cook to conveniently and easily season food as a gourmet chef would season it. Such a product would give the novice cook freedom from worrying about what type, or what amount, or what combination of seasonings needs to be used to produce a flavorful and appetizing result. It would also be desirable if such a product were edible with the food it is being used on.
A search of the prior art in this area yielded several patents disclosing methods to treat and preserve meat products, but none offering a product which is simple and convenient to use. Patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,721,142 and 3,406,081 require that the food product to be treated be dipped in emulsions, and are used primarily to treat frozen food products which are to be stored. Other patents of a similar nature are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,389,000; 4,473,592.
Of more relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,990, which discloses a method specifically for preparing a ham for consumption by applying a paste-like sugary layer on an inedible cheese cloth which covers the ham before cooking and requires that the inedible cheese cloth be removed after cooking. U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,671 also requires removal of an inedible netting before the meat product can be consumed.
Accordingly, there is a need for an edible product for enhancing the flavor of food which can be easily and conveniently used. Such a product would preferably enable the cook to season the food in one step.